TMNT: The Next Generation
by KittyZozo3366
Summary: Seven years after the death of his brothers, Splinter, and Shredder, Michelangelo must help a new team of ninjas to defeat the rising threat of Shredder's daughter.
1. Chapter 1

**-New York City, 11:35 PM-**

The driver of the large armored truck yawned, and his partner handed him a thermos full of coffee from the passenger seat. He took a sip, keeping one hand on the wheel as they approached a set of traffic lights, and he stopped, as the light was red. The driver sighed as he took another sip of coffee, failing to notice the shadow darting past in his side view mirror. As soon as he pulled the thermos away from his lips, the doors opened on both sides of the vehicle, and the two men were dragged out into the street. Before either of them could react, cold steel swords sliced their throats, and the murderers left them on the empty streets to bleed out. The black and red ninjas sheathed their weapons and opened the back doors of the vehicle, looking at its contents. Two large racks held multiple cylindrical canisters, each containing glowing green liquid and labelled with the initials _T.C.R.I._ on the side.

"Two of you get in back. One of you come with me," the supposed leader of the group ordered. Once they all climbed inside the truck, it sped off, leaving the two dead guards in its dust. In the back of the truck, one of the ninjas looked over the canisters, marveled by the green liquid glowing inside. He then moved to the front of the truck and slid open a panel to speak to the driver. He asked his partner, "Will this be enough?"

"It better be. We can't-" The driver went silent as they heard a thud from the car roof. "What was that?"

Suddenly, the back doors of the van burst open, and a shadowy figure swung into the back of the truck. "Step out of the car, guys. I'll be commandeering this vehicle," he stated.

The ninjas stared in awe at the sight of the individual, mostly because he looked like a large, bipedal turtle. He wore a worn, orange bandanna mask, body armor where his shell didn't cover him, and held nun-chucks in both hands. One of the ninjas exclaimed, "I-It's the turtle!"

Both ninjas in the back of the truck drew their swords, while the driver sped up to throw the turtle off balance. Both ninjas charged, only for the turtle to knock both swords back with his nun-chucks. He rolled forward, dodging another sword swing, and kicked one of the ninjas in the back. They fell out of the back of the van, crying out as they hit the ground at high speeds. The second ninja continued swinging at the turtle, managing to nick him on the arm and drive the handle of his sword into his face.

The leader looked through the opening into the back of the truck and took note of how easily the turtle was dealing with them. He closed the panel and looked to the driver as he ordered, "We've been compromised! Ditch the truck!" The driver slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and both the turtle and the ninja stumbled in the back. Once at top speed, the driver drew his sword and cut both the accelerator and the brake. The leader and driver both opened their doors, leapt out, and landed in a roll.

Michelangelo noticed this and looks to the last ninja. "I think your buddies are taking off. You wouldn't want to get left behind," he quipped before grabbing the ninja by the shoulder and tossing them out into the street. With the targets taken care of, the turtle found that the truck was still moving, despite having no driver. He climbed onto the roof and moved across it to reach the driver's seat. Once there, he swung inside and saw the brake pedal.

"Crap," he muttered, looking ahead to see civilians in the street. He quickly took the wheel, hearing screams and angry shouts as he barely managed to avoid hitting anyone. He sighed in relief, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the park wall approaching fast.

"CRAP!" he repeated in a louder voice, bracing for the impact. The truck smashed through the wall, and bumped up and down as it crossed the uneven terrain of the park. With no other options, Michelangelo turned the wheel, inadvertently sending it into a barrel roll. With yet another loud crash, it broke through the entrance of the Central Park Zoo before coming to a halt. The lone turtle breathed heavily as he pulled himself from the wreckage. He propped himself against the side of the van, not wanting to think about the kind of attention this would soon receive. He quickly limped away from the scene, heading through the hole in the wall left by the truck.

Due to a mix of worry and shock from the crash, he failed to notice that the contents of the truck had been scattered, the glowing liquid making its way into different enclosures. A red fox innocently licked the water near her enclosure, not noticing the glowing liquid mixing with the stream. Meanwhile, a red panda put a paw into the liquid, probably too curious about what it is. A lone gorilla strode over to the liquid as it dripped into his enclosure, and he got some of it on his palm.

As each animal touched it, the glowing liquid was absorbed into their skin, and the changes began. The gorilla grunted loudly, bringing his hands to his head as the liquid altered his brain chemistry. He felt his body changing in the slightest of ways, as if he was being forced higher up in the evolutionary chain. The fox screamed as her forepaws become hand-like and her spine popped as she was forced onto two legs. The red panda felt similar changes, and became slightly larger, all her features growing to accommodate for that.

The gorilla let out a cry as the changes ceased, taking deep breaths, and he backed away from the glowing liquid. "Ugh...what hap-" The gorilla clasped a hand over his mouth at the noises he made. He was...speaking; he knew how to speak, but how was this possible? "H-Hello," he uttered, testing out his newfound ability.

"How are we speaking?!" the fox exclaimed, getting used to standing on two feet, feeling her fingers.

"How are we walking?!" the red panda asked, pulling herself up on her two feet by the bars surrounding her exhibit.

The gorilla climbed out of his enclosure, moving through the large dent in the bars left by the truck. He followed the voice and came across the other speaking animals. The fox and red panda exhibits are pretty close to each other. The fox looked at the gorilla, and... smiled a little, or at least tried to. "H-Hey. You...touched the stuff too, right?"

The gorilla looked at the green substance near their exhibits and nodded. "Do...you know what happened?" he asked, looking to them both.

"The truck crashed in, and it was carrying that, obviously," the fox explained, also looking at the truck. "I have no idea who was driving it, but I think they're gone."

"But...why did it do this to us?" the gorilla wondered as he approached the vehicle, taking note of the blood marks on the ground. "The driver...must have been hurt."

The fox hopped the fence to her exhibit with ease and followed the gorilla. She then followed the blood marks. "But where did they go...?" As she got closer to the blood, she found she was able to pick up its scent. She followed the scent, but felt nervous of who they'd meet at the end of the trail.

"Are you...coming?" the gorilla asked, looking over to the red panda.

"Y-Yeah, hold on..." It took the red panda a minute to climb up the bars of her exhibit and out of it. Soon, she followed the gorilla and fox as they tracked the scent. The three headed through the large hole in wall, and picked up speed at the sound of approaching sirens.

* * *

April O'Neil groaned, awoken by her phone as it buzzed on the nightstand. She reached for it and her arm quickly retreated under the warm covers as she checked the caller ID. _Mikey_. She quickly answered the phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

 _"Hey, April. Sorry, did I wake you?"_

"Nah. You're...you're okay." She paused to let out a yawn. "What's up?"

 _"Do you think you could bring some bandages down to the lair? I'm fresh out, and I'm bleeding pretty badly."_

"What happened now, Mikey?" April groaned, getting up out of bed and weakly pulling on some clothes.

 _"Truck crash. You'll probably be reporting on it tomorrow."_

"I'll grab what I can from the drugstore. Try not to die before I get to you." As she talked, she pulled on her coat and grabbed her bag.

 _"Later, April,"_ Michelangelo bade before hanging up.

* * *

The gorilla peeked out from an alleyway, looking left and right for any signs of movement. "This way," he hissed to the fox and red panda, ushering them across the street. They managed to get into the shadows just as a car came speeding past.

"How can there be so many humans out at night?" the fox whispered. "I thought they were only up in the day."

"How would you know? You only sleep during the day," the red panda argued. "Then again, I do too..."

"We need to find somewhere to hide before the day comes," the gorilla insisted. He knew that many people visited the zoo daily, and he did not want to think about how many people would be walking the streets when the sun came up.

"Well, this is a city, and humans are gonna be everywhere," the red panda pointed out. "We need somewhere no human is gonna go, like... not-city."

The fox then noticed something: a metal cover on the ground. Could it be a door to someplace? "Hey, big guy." She nudged the gorilla's arm and pointed to the door-cover-thing. "Think you can move that metal cover?" The gorilla moved over to the cover and gripped the rim, pulling. He easily lifted it up, surprised by his strength; he was already strong as a gorilla, but this was pushing it.

The three of them climbed down the ladder, and the red panda asked, "Do we really have to stay down here? It smells like crap."

"Well, we have nowhere else to go," the gorilla sighed, "and if we return to the zoo, who knows what they will do to us." The fox and the red panda sighed too.

Once they get down to the sewers, the red panda stated, "You know, I wish we hadn't touched that goo. I wish I'd just stayed far away from it and hissed at it until a human came by and cleaned it up in the morning."

"But what if something happened to the humans?" the fox wondered. "Something worse than what happened to us?"

The gorilla said, "Those humans took care of us. I would not wish bad upon them."

As they spoke, the fox's ears picked up on the familiar sound of footsteps. "W-Wait, someone else is down here." The fox got up against the wall.

"I hear it too." The red panda did the same.

The gorilla hushed them, but then he whispered, _"Can you follow it?"_

The red panda went after the noise, since she was the smallest, trying to be as stealthy as possible. She came to the end of a tunnel and found the source of the footsteps: it was a woman, with fiery red hair, a yellow jacket with a white top, purple jeans, and pale red boots. She carried a bag over her shoulder and a paper bag in both hands. The red panda gasped, and then scurried away.

April stopped at the sound of scurrying and glanced back down the tunnel. Seeing nothing, she shrugged it off and continued walking, assuming that it was just a sewer rat.

"Guys," the red panda whispered to the fox and the gorilla when she got back to them. "I saw a human."

"Down here?" The fox folded her arms. "What did they do? Did they follow you?"

"I-I don't think so, but it is weird they were down there. They were carrying something, like they were taking it to somewhere else."

"...Maybe we should follow them."

"But we need to stay quiet," the gorilla warned.

"I'm just worried about you, big guy." The fox smirked and then looked to the red panda. "Where did you see them go?"

"This way." The red panda led them to where she saw the woman, and then they traveled further, trying to be sneaky while also catching up to her. They come around a corner to see the woman reach the end of a tunnel. She pushed one of the bricks on the wall, which activated a mechanism to make the wall slide out of the way, revealing a hidden chamber.

Once the woman came through and the stones went back into place, the fox came up to the wall. "Which one was it...?" She pushed on one of the bricks, hoping it was the right one.

* * *

Michelangelo rested on the Turtle Lair's threadbare sofa as his arm got wrapped in bandages by April. "I owe you one, April."

"Unless I've lost count, you owe me thirty," she points out, and then the two of them laugh at their shared sense of humor. Then, April frowns as she looks at the wound. "I can't keep doing this, Mikey."

The turtle looked at her with a raised brow. "It's okay, April. I can patch myself up next ti-"

"I'm not talking about patching you up. I can't keep letting you go out there if you're going to keep coming back in this state." Then April tied up the bandages and put the remaining ones back in the First Aid box.

"April, we've been over this. I can't just stop protecting the city," Michelangelo replied, getting up from the sofa and flexing his bandaged arm.

"Can't or won't?" April asked, looking over Michelangelo from her seat on the sofa. "Look at yourself, Mikey. You and your brothers used to take on whole hordes of Foot Clan ninjas without getting a scratch on you. Now I'm coming down here every few weeks to restock your medicine cabinet."

Michelangelo sighed, "Time have changed, April." He looked around the turtle lair, and everything he looked at brought back memories: the crappy ping-pong table he and Raph' brought down from the upper alleyway; the scorch mark on the wall left by Donnie after an attempt at making explosive shuriken; and Leo's swords, displayed proudly on the wall in an X pattern. "I'm on my own now."

"But you don't have to be. It's not just that- you've become reckless. You've lost your discipline," April replied, standing up from the sofa and approaching her friend. "You can't keep doing this alone, and you can't keep pushing your friends away." She reached out and took hold of Michelangelo's three-fingered hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

But the turtle lowered his head and gently pulled his hand back from her. "I have to, April."

April gave Michelangelo a look of sympathy, her hand returning to her side. "I should probably go. Casey's probably wondering where I am. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Michelangelo assured her, not even flashing a smirk. April sighed, picking up her bag, and headed for the exit. She pressed a button on the wall and the secret door slid open. But Michelangelo's attention was brought immediately back to April as he hears her scream down the tunnel. He grabbed his nun-chucks from the sofa and ran to her aid. "April, what's...wrong?" He trailed off at the sight of three mutants standing in the doorway: a gorilla, a fox, and a red panda.


	2. Chapter 2

April backed up, and Michelangelo got in front of her. "Stay behind me." He glared at the creatures and swung his weapons threateningly.

The fox pushed the gorilla and red panda away; all three of them looked just as scared as April. The fox squeaked, "W-We're not gonna hurt you!"

"Why should I believe that?!" Michelangelo argued, still spinning his nun-chucks.

"Wait! We...changed. At the zoo. Something...changed us," the gorilla explained, still confused about the changes he and the zoo animals had been through.

Michelangelo's eyes widened, and he put his nun-chucks back in his belt. "The zoo?"

The fox groaned as she realized something. "Crap. I was chasing the guy who wrecked the truck and I lost the scent..."

The red panda ignored her and explained to Mikey, "A truck filled with some sort of liquid crashed into the Central Park Zoo and we all touched the liquid and became...like this." She gestured to her anthropomorphic body. She looked back to Michelangelo and realized he was an anthropomorphic turtle. "D-Did it happen to you too?"

April leaned in to whispered to the turtle. "Didn't you say you crashed a truck into the zoo?"

He gulped as everything clicked into place. "Um...you three...might want to sit down."

"I'll call Casey to let him know I'll be back late," April said, edging away from the mutants to take out her phone.

* * *

"You were driving that truck?" the gorilla asked as Michelangelo explains how the zoo animals came to be mutated in the first place.

"Technically. Well...not at first," Michelangelo clarified. "There's this clan of ninjas in New York that call themselves the Foot. They've been operating here for years."

"And they're the ones who stole that truck in the first place," April added. "Mikey was just trying to stop it."

"I swear, I never meant for...THIS to happen," the turtle insisted, gesturing to each of the zoo animals.

"Well, we need someplace to stay. I don't want to think about what they'd do if they found out we mutated." The fox shuddered.

"Did you come from a zoo?" the red panda asked. "I mean, you're a mutated turtle, obviously."

"Oh. No, I-I've been down here for years," Michelangelo revealed.

"If you guys need someplace to stay, this is your best option," April pointed out, gesturing to the lair.

Michelangelo's eyes widened as April said this. "April, can I talk to you for a second?" He got up, off the sofa and gestured for her to follow. She did. leaving the zoo animals by themselves. Once out of earshot, Mikey frowned at April. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Um...helping them?"

"April, what makes you think they'll be any safer down here than up there?"

"First, they can't stay with me. Second, because you've lived here all your life and nobody has come close to finding this place," April pointed out. Michelangelo groaned as she made excellent points. "Plus, you're the one who crashed a truck full of mutagen into their home."

"It was a mistake-"

"A mistake you wouldn't have made if you hadn't acted recklessly," April clarified. "Come on, Mikey. I remember a wise old rat who took in a group of mutants just like them when they had nowhere else to go."

Michelangelo sighed, acknowledging her final excellent point. "Okay, they can stay here. For now," he states, getting a smile out of the fiery-haired reporter.

"Good. I'll let you take it from here. I've got to be at work in... three hours." April groaned, turning before heading to the exit. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," she bade as she passed the mutated zoo animals. The animals waved goodbye to her as she left.

The red panda then looked to Michelangelo. "So, where _did_ you come from?"

"I...don't really remember that much," Michelangelo replied as he watched April leave. "But what I do know is that my brothers and I wound up down here."

The gorilla asked, "Brothers? You mean there were more of you?"

"Four," Mikey answered with a smirk, "and one rat."

"Four turtles actually sounds familiar," the fox muttered. "Like, humans talked about it."

"We were regarded as rumors. Urban legends," Michelangelo stated. "My brothers and I protected New York from the Foot Clan, as well as anyone else who tried to cause trouble."

"But how did you know how to fight?" the gorilla asked.

Michelangelo took a look at the clock on the wall and yawned as the time sets in. "Look, I'll tell you everything you want to know tomorrow. But for now, I need to get some rest."

The fox pouted. "But...I'm used to staying up at night."

"Me too," the red panda agreed. "Do you have any food?"

The turtle sighed. "There's a fridge in the back. Help yourself. I'm...going to hit the sack. Don't leave," he warned.

"Believe me, I don't want to." The fox smirked, and the red panda headed to the fridge. She opened the fridge, only to come across a variety of different takeout containers. The red panda stuck her nose into a Chinese food container and ate the beefy noodles straight from it.

"Wow. You really were hungry," the gorilla commented.

"Do you want some?" The red panda grabbed another Chinese container for him.

The gorilla almost retched at the scent. "I'm good. Any fruit?"

"I don't think this guy eats fruit." The fox dug through the fridge to help the gorilla. "Which is weird, because I'm pretty sure turtles are herbivores too."

"I thought they could be both," the red panda muttered between bites.

"Since when did you learn so much about animals?" the gorilla asked.

"Didn't you live in a zoo?!" Michelangelo called from another room. "Keep it down!"

The red panda ate quietly and the fox grabbed what looked to be a burrito. She said, "Sorry, big guy," before she chowed down.

"Don't worry about it," the gorilla replied. "You know, I think the turtle had the right idea. I'm going to get some shuteye."

"Mmm, okay. We'll join you in a while," the fox said before continuing to eat. When the red panda and the fox are finished, they slept together on one of the couches in the base. The gorilla rested on the floor beside one of the couches, used to sleeping on hard surfaces.

* * *

Michelangelo got up, stretching before heading out into the main lair. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the zoo animals sleeping in there, but he calmed down as the events of the previous night came flooding back to him. "Oh, right. The zoo animals," he yawned as he headed over to the fridge. He sighed as he noticed how much food was missing. He opened a pizza box, glad to see that they had at least left his favorite food intact. He took a bite out of the slice and sat down at the lair's computer. It turned on, and a news report was the first thing to pop up on the screen.

The noise of the computer roused the zoo animals from their slumber. The fox squeaked as she woke up. "What's that noise?!"

The red panda snorted, "Mmm, what?"

Michelangelo looked back at them. "Morning," he greeted through a mouthful of pizza.

"H-Hello," the red panda greeted back. She then yawned. "It's weird waking up in the _morning_..."

"Tell me about it," Michelangelo replied, looking over the news report. As expected, the anchorman cut to Central Park Zoo, with April O'Neil in front of the camera. In the background behind her, the wreckage left behind by Michelangelo's crash was getting cleaned up by both construction teams and men in hazmat suits.

 _"As you can see behind me, Vernon, the zoo has sustained significant damage due to the crash that took place late last night. The N.Y.P.D. has not issued a official statement, but the officers present are assuming that the crash was caused by a drunk driver,"_ April reported. Michelangelo smirked, silently reminiscing on how far his friend had come after all her years of reporting.

"But that's not true," the fox pointed out, now watching the news report next to Mikey. "You told us what actually happened."

"I know, but April's trying to cover for you," the turtle assured her.

 _"We have recently received word that the Animal Control Agency has been called in due to the reported escape of three animals,"_ April continued.

"Crap," the red panda uttered. "But there's no way they could find us down here, right?"

"Absolutely. Nobody has some close to finding this place," Michelangelo pointed out. "Not even our worst enemies."

"But three confused and mutated zoo animals just happen to stumble into it." The fox smirked.

Michelangelo then turned in the chair to face the fox. "Which reminds me, how _did_ you find this place?"

The red panda explained, "Well, I followed April after I heard her-"

"And I just happened to pick the right brick to get inside," the fox finished.

Michelangelo smirked. "That's pretty smart. That mutagen must work fast." If Mikey's brothers were here, they'd make a quip about the mutagen not working fast for him.

"We just needed somewhere to stay." The fox shrugged. "The main sewers aren't that habitable."

"Well, they are now that we've found this place," the gorilla pointed out.

"But if you're really going to be staying here, I should at least know your names," Michelangelo said.

"Um, I-I don't remember the name the zookeepers gave me," the red panda replied.

"I do," the fox spoke up. "I'm Renee, and you are...?"

"Michelangelo. But you can call me Mikey," the turtle introduces.

"Quite a name," the gorilla commented.

"Master Splinter gave it to me. He named me and my brothers after Renaissance painters for some reason."

"Do _we_ get renaissance painter names?" the red panda asked.  
"I don't think many of them were girls," the fox pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure there were a few," Michelangelo then got up from his chair, went over to an old bookcase in the corner of the lair, and took out one of the larger books. He opened it, revealing pages and pages of information on Renaissance painters. "See? Here's a few right off the bat."

The fox frowned for a second, not able to read the words, but then they somehow came to her. "Artemisia Gentileschi... and Elisabetta Sirani. Their names are just as strange as yours, Mikey."

"Can I see?" The red panda tried to look up at the book, standing on her tip-toes to do so.

"Paolo Uccelo," the gorilla read. "Is that a male name?"

"I'm pretty sure it is," Mikey answered.

"Can my name be Sirani?" the red panda asked. "Since I don't remember it?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Sweet." Sirani smiled.

"Do we all have to have Renaissance painter names?" the fox huffed. "I like my old name."

"What if we just make it a nickname?" Michelangelo suggested.

"You mean short for 'Renaissance'?" She smirked.

"I think he meant the other name," Sirani clarified. "How does Artemisia sound?"

"I like that," Artemisia replied. "But I think I prefer 'Renee.'"

"Whatever works for you." Michelangelo shrugged.

"Whatever you want to call me is fine." Artemisia shrugged back.

Paolo asked, admiring a pair of swords on the wall, "So, Mikey, how exactly did you learn martial arts?"

"Do you guys really want to know?" Michelangelo looked to the others.

"Yeah." Sirani nodded. "Since we're gonna be staying with you and all."

Michelangelo looked over at the swords with Paolo. "Before he mutated, Master Splinter was the pet rat of one the Foot Clan's greatest warriors, Hamato Yoshi."

"Wait, his master was a member of the Foot Clan? I thought they were your worst enemy," Paolo recalled.

"They are, but Yoshi was betrayed by a fellow ninja and killed him in self-defense. He was exiled to New York, but that wasn't the end of it. The ninja he killed had a brother, Oroku Saki. He rose through the ranks of the Foot Clan to take control, going on to become one of the most dangerous men I've ever faced: The Shredder. He came to New York, tracked down Yoshi, and murdered him in cold blood. After seeing what happened, Splinter fled into the sewer."

"But when did Splinter get mutated?" Artemisia chimed in. "And where do you and your brothers come into this?"

"A few years later, me and my brothers were washed into the sewer along with a canister of mutagen. We don't know how we got down here or where we came from, but Splinter saved us. He wound up getting exposed to the mutagen too."

"He seemed like a smart rat," Sirani commented, "even before he got mutated."

"Yeah. Funny how things work out," Mikey replied with a smirk. "But as we got bigger, Master Splinter knew that we'd need to protect ourselves if the time ever came. Not just that, but we needed to learn the art of stealth to remain hidden from the human world. And so, our training began."

"So, he just taught you everything that Hamato Yoshi knew?" Artemisia assumed. "It seems weird that he'd remember so much of his before-mutation life."

"Like Sirani said, he was a smart rat," Michelangelo requoted.

"What about us?" Paolo asked.

The turtle frowned. "What about you?"

"Are we going to learn what Splinter taught you?"

"We have 'Renaissance painter' names like you, and we'd need to defend ourselves if we needed to go up above for whatever reason," Artemisia added.

"No." Michelangelo's blunt answer surprised the zoo animals.

Paolo tried to explain, "But Artemisia has a point. If you trained us, we could even fight with y-"

"None of you are getting trained! And that's final!" Mikey stated firmly.

"...Are you trying to be our dad or something?" Sirani folded her arms, and the other two zoo animals tried not to laugh.

"I'm trying to keep you safe," he retorted.

"But your Master Splinter taught you how to fight," Paolo pointed out. "And you're still alive."

"Answer this: do you see my brothers anywhere? Or Master Splinter, for that matter?" Michelangelo gestured around the lair, and all the zoo animals offered as an answer was awkward silence. "Exactly. They're not here, and you're not getting trained."

"And you're just gonna keep fighting, all by yourself?" Artemisia asked. "Do you think that's what they would want?"

The turtle frowned at her. "You don't know what they would want." He turned and headed for his room. "End of discussion."

After Mikey left the room, Sirani looked to the others. "So, wh-what do we do now?"

"Let's have a look at some stuff," Paolo suggested, glancing over at the computer.

"Do you even know how to work this thing?" Artemisia looked at the computer too.

"Probably. I mean, Mikey seemed to use it without any problems." The gorilla put his hand on the mouse and moved it around the screen. "See? Easy." He then caused multiple windows to open. "Um...maybe not."

Artemisia helped him close all the extra windows. "So… what are we using this for again?"

"I just want to have a look at this stuff. It's...different than what I'm used to," Paolo said. "Plus, what else are we meant to do? We can't go outside."

"Good point." Artemisia folded her arms.

Sirani tried to get into Paolo's lap. "Can I see?"

"Um...sure." Paolo awkwardly tried to make space for her.

Sirani soon found a comfortable spot for herself. "Thanks."

"Does Mikey have anything on here?" Artemisia kept a close eye on the screen. "Like, pictures?"

"Hold on. Um...let's see if I can work with this," Paolo mumbled, moving the mouse and having trouble navigating the computer's files. "Uh...AH! Pictures!" He noticed the word beneath a file.

Artemisia clicked on it. "This should give us some idea of his past."

They came across a collection of photos, most them seemingly taken by Michelangelo, and each one tells a different story. One showed a turtle with a blue bandanna and a turtle with a red bandanna playing video games, and the one in red appeared to be losing due to the look of grief on his face.

Another showed a scene after a battle, and a younger Michelangelo was making an unconscious Foot Clan ninja pick his own nose. A turtle with a purple bandanna ran a hand down his face in the background.

Then, the zoo animals come to one photo that caught their attention the most. It was taken in the style of a family photo, featuring all four turtles, an elderly anthropomorphic rat, a younger April, and a black-haired man with his arm around her shoulders.

"So these must be his brothers..." Artemisia pointed to the other turtles in the last picture, and then to the rat. "That's Master Splinter." She pointed to April next. "This is the human reporter, but..." She pointed to the black-haired guy last. "Who's this guy?"

"Maybe we could ask Mikey?" Sirani suggested.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. We probably shouldn't even let him know we looked through these pictures..."

"They seemed like a happy family," Paolo commented, looking at the image with a hint of sadness.

"Do you think he'll ever be happy again?" Sirani pouted. "Are we gonna be his new family...?"

"We shouldn't think about that," the gorilla warned. "We've only just met him."

"Well, if he's forcing us to stay here, we at least have to be friends with him," Artemisia pointed out.

"That's true, but it's not like we had many friends back at the zoo. Mostly because we couldn't speak to each other."

"I just remember the other red panda in my exhibit," Sirani recalled. "I hope she's okay."

"What about you? Were there other foxes with you?" Paolo asked Artemisia.

"Maybe...?" She tried to think back. "If I did have someone else there, they haven't been there for a while."

"Oh," Paolo uttered. "I guess all of us are new to having proper friends."

"Well, I'm glad I met you guys." Sirani smiled.

The gorilla smiled back. "I'm...glad I met you guys too."

Artemisia closed the pictures on the computer. "So... what else can we do?"

As they talked, the zoo animals were unaware of Michelangelo listening in on their conversation. He should have been angry at them for looking at his computer without his permission, he should have been angry at them for discussing the subject of his family- but why was he _not_ angry? Michelangelo sighed, thinking over what April and the zoo animals both said. Then, he stood up and made footstep noises to give the zoo animals time to pretend that they were not looking at his computer.

"Shoot!" Artemisia whispered. "I think Mikey heard us!" All the animals moved to the couch and the fox picked up a magazine from a nearby table.

Michelangelo came in and looked at the zoo animals. "Hey."

"Hi." Sirani waved at him. "You feeling better now? I'm sorry we made you angry earlier."

"I'm...sorry for snapping at you," Michelangelo replied. "I just came here because...if you wanted to, I have a games console and we could play a little."

"You're gonna have to teach us," Artemisia pointed out.

The turtle smirked. "You'll be learning from the best."

* * *

The dark-haired woman watched the footage from the morning news report, and then turned to the group of Foot ninjas who she had sent out last night. One of them stepped forward, bowing his head to her. "Master Saki, we wan-"

"I don't want to hear excuses," she interrupts, taking a step towards the four of them. "I sent you out to steal a truck full of mutagen. And while battling the turtle, you didn't think to grab at least ONE canister?"

"The turtle was too stron-"

"No!" The three other ninjas wince as Saki backhands their supposed leader. "YOU were too weak!" she exclaims, pausing to regain her composure. "Regardless, at least we learned one thing from this venture."

The ninja brought a hand to his cheek as he looked to his master. "And what is that?"

"The turtle is getting sloppy." She gestured to the news footage being displayed on the base's computer. "Just look at the damage he caused. If we can get my plan back on track, defeating him will be easy."

"What about the mutagen?" one of the ninjas asked.

"Luckily for you, I planned for this." Saki closed the news footage and brought up a list of shipping documents. "There is still a substantial amount of mutagen being stored at the T.C.R.I. storage facility."

"Why did we not go there instead of hijacking the truck? I-If you don't mind my asking," another ninja asked timidly.

"Because this will be much more difficult to procure. I will have to accompany you," Saki states. She turned from the computer and walked over to a small closet. She then took hold of the handles and pulled open the doors. A smile crossed her lips as she reached inside and touched the metallic armor, admiring the craftsmanship put into it by the Foot Clan's top engineering contacts. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."


	3. Chapter 3

Michelangelo groaned as he loses yet another race to Sirani on Mario Kart. "How did you beat me THAT time?! You've only played, like, three games!"

"Didn't you say we were fast learners?" Sirani smirked.

Artemisia also smirks. "Plus, we have more digits than you."

"That's no excuse," Michelangelo huffed.

"Maybe you're getting old," Paolo commented.

"I'm only twenty-nine!"

"I'm only three," Artemisia retorted.

"Touché," Michelangelo sighed. Suddenly, the group hears the sound of the door to the lair opening, and they turn to see April heading inside, carrying a few bags with her.

"Getting your butt kicked on the race track again, Mikey? It's been a while," she quipped.

Paolo greeted, "It's nice to see you again, April."

"You too, guys," she replied kindly.

"Hi, April!" Sirani waved, smiling cheerfully. "Why are you back?"

"Considering Mikey never goes shopping, I figured you could do with some lunch. Plus, we also brought a few clothes for you guys."

"We?" Paolo frowned, looking over to the door.

Another person walked in, carrying some more bags. "Was this really necessary, April?" Casey grunted, finding them heavy, even for him.

"We needed a selection. I didn't know what size they are," April replied as Casey placed down the bags.

He then looked over at the zoo animals curiously. "Um...hi. I'm Casey."

"Hey." Sirani waved to Casey too. "I'm Sirani." The zoo animals recognized him as the man from the picture on Mikey's computer, but they assumed he doesn't know about that, so they kept quiet.

"I'm Artemisia. Michelangelo decided to give us names."

Sirani and Artemisia rummaged through the bag April gave them, looking for something that fits. April said as she handed one of the bags to Paolo, "And we got something a little larger for you." Artemisia put on a little black dress and some white leggings, while Sirani put on a pink (child's) t-shirt and jean shorts, and Paolo put on a large leather jacket and jeans.

"Not bad," Casey commented as each of the animals suited up.

"Wait, why do we even need clothes?" Artemisia asked. "No one's going to see us down here, and we all have natural fur to cover our bodies."

"I figured that, since you mutated, you might've gotten some sense of humility. Better safe than sorry," April explained. Paolo diverted his gaze, knowing that she had a point.

"But Mikey barely has any clothes on," Sirani pointed out. "Unless you count his shell, which seems to file under 'natural coverings,' like fur."

April said, "It's up to you. I just thought it'd be nice."

"And we appreciate it, April," Paolo acknowledged.

"I'm fine with clothing," Artemisia replied. "Why do you think I put it on?"

"Me too," Sirani agreed.

"It suits you guys," Casey commented.

Artemisia smiled. "Thanks."

"So, what do you do, Casey?" Paolo asked.

"I work at a bar."

"What's a bar?" Sirani asked.

Casey explained, "It's a place where people go to get drinks. Or fight. Sometimes both."

"It sounds like someplace Mikey would like." Artemisia smirked.

Casey smirked also. "He only comes to visit when there's nobody else there." Michelangelo just stayed silent.

"What happens if someone came into the bar, and...saw Mikey?" she asked.

"That's why I installed locks."

"Could we visit the bar sometime?" Sirani asked.

"Maybe if you're lucky," Casey replied.

The red panda took that as some sort of affirmation. "Sweet!"

"Do we really have to fight people there?" Artemisia asked.

"Oh, no! No, no, no. It's just a figure of speech," Casey explained. "Sometimes people will get drunk and try to fight each other."

"Oh." Artemisia nodded. "What's 'drunk'?"

Casey smirked, but then he got a stern glare from April, reminding him the zoo animals were still young and innocent. "It's...um, it's a thing that makes you feel happy...or sad...or something."

"It sounds interesting," Paolo commented.

"You're not getting drunk," April stated, just in case her glare at Casey wasn't enough.

"But Michelangelo can?" Sirani pouted. "That doesn't seem fair."

Michelangelo added, "Trust me. You need to have an acquired taste."

"Well, we can't go out anyways," Artemisia huffed. "Michelangelo is acting like a strict father."

"Well...he does have good reasons too," April pointed out.

"But..." the fox sighed. "I don't know. I don't feel like I want to stay here for the rest of the life, you know? It feels like we're back at the zoo, before we became smarter."

"But you guys can't go outside without attracting attention," April insisted.

Sirani asked, "So how come Mikey can go outside and take the risk?"

"Because I've had years of training. I've learned how to remain unseen," Michelangelo reminded them.

There was a long pause before Artemisia looked to April, thinking of something to say. "So, any other reason you've come here besides clothes?"

"Well, I thought I'd make you some lunch. Is it safe to assume that you haven't eaten a lot down here?" April asked.

"That's a good assumption," Paolo replied.

" _He_ hasn't eaten anything." Artemisia pointed to Paolo. "Sarani and I raided the fridge. He doesn't eat meat, apparently."

April smiled. "Well, luckily for you, I brought some vegetables."

"Thank you, April," the gorilla acknowledged.

"Just raw vegetables?" Sirani pouted. "Can't we cook something with them?"

April said, "That's what I was going to do in the first place."

"Can I help you?" Sirani looked eager to do so.

"You...want to help cook?" April asked with a smile.

"Sure!" Sirani smiled back. "W-Well, I'd have to stand on the counters to reach everything, but I'll be okay."

"Of course. The more the merrier."

The red panda came over to April's side. "So, what are we gonna make?"

"I'm thinking of doing a chicken salad, with more salad for Paolo."

"That's great. How can I help?"

"First, you grab some of the salad and start cutting it up," April instructed. As the day went on, the zoo animals and the others bonded surprisingly well. Sirani and April had fun making the food, and Casey spent time "sparring" with Paolo, showing off his street-fighting techniques from his vigilante days.

But Artemisia noticed Michelangelo watching from the couch, essentially the sidelines from where his friends were. She came over to him and asked, "Are you alright, Mikey? You've been sitting here for most of the day."

"I-I'm fine, Artie. Don't let me distract you," Michelangelo assured her.

"First of all, don't call me 'Artie.'" She sat next to him. "Second, your friends are here- why don't you want to hang out with them?"

"I'm just...not used to having so many people in the lair again," he sighed.

"Oh." Artemisia frowned. "It's not that uncomfortable, is it?"

"At least we're not constantly messing with each other." Michelangelo smirked, remembering better times.

"I guess you miss your brothers and Splinter... a lot. I'm not sure what missing someone is like, but...we're here for you, Michelangelo. You can't keep yourself in a shell forever. M-Metaphorical shell I mean." She tried not to stare at his real shell. "Bad choice of words."

Michelangelo chuckled a little. "That sounds like a joke I would've made."

Artemisia smiled. "What were your brothers like?"

"Like any other teenagers, but Leo and Raph' were usually at each other's throats for one reason or another."

"And what about the fourth brother?" She had forgotten his name.

"Donnie. He kept to himself usually, spending most of his time on the computer."

The fox smirked. "Sounds like you right now."

Mikey also smirked. "After they...you know, I kinda had to take over all the roles. All except the comic relief."

She frowned. "That sucks. You sound like you had to grow up fast. This may be touchy, but...how did they die?"

Michelangelo went silent, and Artemisia began to wonder whether she had just stepped over the line. She soon felt relief as Michelangelo spoke again. "Seven years ago, Master Splinter was captured by Shredder and Krang. Krang was this...weird, tumor-alien-thing from another dimension. They brought Splinter to Krang's fortress: the Technodrome."

"What's a Technodrome? I guess you and your brothers all went to find Splinter."

"It's this huge moving fortress, incredibly powerful and dangerous. My brothers and I came on board, and we found Splinter being held prisoners Shredder sent his usual army of ninjas after us, but then...something changed. I don't know what it was, but Shredder snapped, and...he killed Splinter right in front of us."

Artemisia's eyes widened. "He...never tried to hurt Splinter before?"

"He did, but...this time was different. We'd been fighting him for so long, he finally did the unthinkable."

"So, what happened to the Technodrome? To Shredder? Did you and your brothers kill him?"

"That's where it all went to shit," Michelangelo sighed. "Shredder left Krang and his ninjas behind to fight us, but...I was the only one who went after him. Leo ordered me to come back, but I didn't listen. I was...I was _pissed_. Shredder tried to escape on a chopper, but I clung onto the side as it flew out of the Technodrome's hangar. Once we got far enough, Shredder..."

Artemisia noticed Michelangelo's fist clench as he recalled the events, so she tried to distract him from the story, lest she upset him further. "Ah...th-the food's almost done," she said, taking Mikey's fist. "Maybe you can continue this story after lunch."

Michelangelo looked to Artemisia and nodded solemnly. The four mutated animals, April, and Casey all gathered around the kitchen table and sat to eat. Once they started eating, they were all impressed by the taste of the food, and Casey commented, "Not bad, guys."

"Thanks," Sirani replied.

Paolo looked like he really enjoyed the taste of the salad, and Sirani smiled at him. "Maybe I can make this for you every day."

"That would be perfect," the gorilla commented, smiling back at her.

Artemisia almost wanted Mikey to tell the rest of his story right now, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate to do so while they're all eating. She kept a close eye on him, though, only to find he looked slightly happier now that everyone was eating together. She thought, maybe, he was reminded of his old family in a way. Soon, everyone had finished eating the meal.

"Here. Let me help," Casey said, helping April gather up the plates.

"Can I help?" Sirani asked.

"Sure," Casey offered, "if you want to."

"Thanks." Sirani and Casey then cleaned the dishes together.

Casey asked the red panda as they cleaned, "So, how are you...doing?"

"I'm good. How are you?" Sirani asked.

"I'm okay, I guess. How's things down here?"

"They're...good, I guess. To be honest, I'm starting to miss things up there."

"I don't blame you for feeling that way. Although, it's not always sunshine and fresh air. It's just as dangerous."

"I know, and it's especially dangerous for a mutant. I just miss when things were simpler, and people cared for me..." Sirani sighed.

"Trust me- even as a regular human, it's bad up there. Although, the bar I work at isn't all that bad. Even some rival gangs I've had trouble with have come to respect me over the years."

Sirani stayed quiet for a moment before she asked, "So... how did you meet Michelangelo and his brothers? Was it friendly, or...?"

"Nah. I kicked their asses," Casey boasted.

"I'm sure Mikey would have a different story to tell." She smirked. "And I'll never know the truth."

Casey snickered. "My truth is all you need."

The red panda rolled her eyes. "So, when did you all become buddies?"

"Somewhere around the time where they helped me take down the Purple Dragons."

"Who are they? I guess they're another gang, but...how did you take them all down? Why were you fighting them?"

"We didn't take ALL of them down. That's near impossible, the same with other gangs in New York," Casey replied. "We were fighting them because they were causing a lot of trouble for us. Not as bad as the Foot Clan, but still pretty bad."

Sirani commented, "At least you bonded over it. Do you know how April met the Turtles?"

"Of course. She met them long before I did."

"Well, how did they meet?"

"They saved her life when this mad scientist named Baxter Stockman sent a swarm of small robots to kill her. They chased her into the sewer, and...well, that's when the turtles stepped in."

"I guess this Baxter guy never found the lair, then. Why was he angry with April? She doesn't seem the type to make enemies."

"She was investigating him and discovered that he had links to the Shredder. But she got caught," Casey explained.

"So, that's what a reporter does?" the red panda asked. "Investigate people?"

"Essentially." He nodded a little. "April's really good at what she does."

"Aw, thanks, honey." April pecked her boyfriend on the cheek. Sirani smirked before getting back to work on the dishes.

As they finished up the rest of the dishes, Michelangelo headed off to the training room, and Artemisia notices as he left. As sneaky as a (mutant) fox can be, she followed him, curious as to what the training room looked like.

Michelangelo flicked on the lights as he went inside, revealing a modest setup. On the wall of the room, Artemisia noticed a pair of Sai, displayed in a similar fashion to the swords back in the living area. She decided not to touch them and just stayed quiet so Mikey didn't notice her.

"Let me guess. You want to hear the rest of the story?"

" _Crap,_ " Artemisia said to herself, and then she spoke up to Michelangelo. "I guess I'm not as stealthy as you. But yes, I do. It would...also be nice to watch you train."

Michelangelo smirked, drawing his nun-chucks. "Where was I last time?"

"You were holding onto the Technodrome's hangar, I think?" she recalled.

Michelangelo nodded as it came back to him, but he did not look happy to recall it. "I was holding onto the side of Shredder's escape chopper. When he got far enough from the Technodrome, he..." He tightened his grip on his nun-chucks, his brow furrowing. "He blew it up."

Artemisia frowned, glad she wasn't close to Mikey right now. "Did anyone on the Technodrome survive?"

Michelangelo shook his head. "Not even Krang." He turned to one of the punching bags and drop-kicked it, making it swing back and forth. "Shredder was willing to kill both his allies and his followers just to get what he wanted."

"So... I guess you killed Shredder for what he did."

"You're damn right," Michelangelo replied sternly. "I came aboard the chopper, and I crashed it with him inside. I got out before getting roasted."

"I guess it's nice your brothers' weapons survived." Artemisia pointed to the pair of Sai on the wall. "Something to remember them by."

"It's all that could be found in the wreckage," the turtle sighed. "I couldn't bear to see what was left of my family."

"So...what if someone took the bodies? You know, if there was anything left?"

Mikey looked at her sternly. "What are you trying to say?"

Artemisia backed up. "N-Nothing! I-I don't...I don't know what I was trying to say." She sighed, ears bending down. "I'm sorry for mentioning something like that."

"Just...don't worry about it." The turtle sighed as he ran a hand down his face.

Artemisia could tell that, even after all this time, he was still struggling with the loss, so she took his hand. "Hey, Mikey, I-I just want to say...that me and the other zoo animals...we're here if you need anything." She gave him a very sincere smile. Mikey looked at her, and then down at her hand holding his. She then blushed and pulled her hand away. "O-Only if you want us to, o-of course."

Michelangelo eyes then looked at the Sai on the wall. "If you really want to..." He took the weapons down and held them out to the mutated fox. "I could use a sparring partner."

Artemisia's eyes widened. "R-Really? You wouldn't mind me sparring w-with your brother's weapons?"

"Well, we don't really have any others. Plus, it'd be nice to spar with someone other than Casey," the turtle pointed out. "He's a good fighter, but...not really a Sai or sword kind of guy."

"What does he fight with?" She asked, taking one of the Sais.

"A hockey stick," Michelangelo replied, swinging one of his nun-chucks.

"...Don't you play hockey with a hockey stick?" Artemisia took the other Sai and held them both up nervously.

Michelangelo smirked as she held them. "Here, let me show you something." He moved the Sai around in her hands so that the blade was flat against her forearm, looking like she was holding it backwards. "By holding the Sai like this, you can use it to block an attack. And not just that." He moved her arm out in front of her, her fingers positioned around the curves of the weapon. "But you can use the handle to make your punches have more of an impact."

Artemisia smirked. "Sweet. I'm...kind of nervous to fight you. What if I manage a hit?"

"Care to test that theory?" Michelangelo asked, swinging his nun-chucks. "Remember, don't move the blade away from your forearm. Keep it pressed against it." She nodded, and aimed the blade end towards Mikey's shell, knowing it would be impossible to actually hurt a turtle's shell...right? Michelangelo moved in and struck Artemisia's exposed arm. It didn't hurt like hell, but it still stung. "You didn't listen to me," he noted with a smirk. After recovering from the hit, she held one Sai as Michelangelo instructed, and the other in a defensive position. She went for his arm this side this time, not caring that his shell wasn't protecting it. She blocked the hit, but Michelangelo dodged the stab. He now stood beside her. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Thanks..." Artemisia reorientated herself to be in front of Mikey. "Should the others train with you sometime?"

"Let's try focusing on you first," Mikey pointed out with a smirk, standing opposite the fox. She smirked and moved the Sai downwards from above, like she was trying to stab someone- keyword was try. The turtle's smile remained as he prepares to face her. He had to admit- he had really missed this.


	4. Chapter 4

Casey dodged a punch from Paolo, and dealt back three more in kind. April and Sirani watched from the sidelines, and April smirked as they brawl. "Who do you think's going to win?"

"Casey, actually," Sirani replied. "He's a skilled fighter, despite Paolo being a gorilla and everything."

"True. I've seen Casey take on mutants before, both with and without his hockey stick. But still, Paolo has a fair chance."

"Just because of brute strength?"

"It's effective," April pointed out as Paolo knocked Casey back.

"What's the biggest thing Casey's ever taken on?"

"A mutant rhino and warthog."

"That sounds pretty cool." Sirani smirked. "At the same time?"

"Sort of," April replied. "It wasn't at the same time."

"It still sounds pretty cool. Were those mutants zoo animals like us?"

"Nah, a couple of Shredder's street toughs who decided to get a bit of extra muscle."

Sirani pouted. "Oh. Wow, you made mutants sound boring all of a sudden."

April rolled her eyes and petted Sirani's head. "Believe me, those guys were far from boring." The red panda's tail started to wag as April petted her head.

A grunt suddenly caught their attention as Paolo got knocked down, and Casey stood over him. "Not bad, big guy," he commented, holding out a hand to the gorilla. Paolo accepted the hand and got up.

"Nice match," Sirani commented.

"You should work on your blocking more," Casey told Paolo. "Your punches were good, but you still left yourself open to attack."

"I'll work on it," Paolo assured him.

Sirani came up to them and asked eagerly, "Can I fight you next?"

"Me or him?" Casey asked, gesturing to himself and then Paolo.

"You." She pointed to Casey. Paolo shrugged and moved to the sidelines.

Casey said, "I'm all yours." Suddenly, Sirani screamed as she jumped onto Casey's chest. Casey jolted slightly, but overall, he hadn't moved. Sirani even looked sort of cute clinging onto his chest. Still screaming, she scratched at Casey's shirt with her tiny claws, but he simply lifted her off, holding her at arm's reach. Sirani whimpered and tries to kick Casey with her feet. She made contact, but it didn't affect Casey that much.

"Hmm...hold on, let me try something." Casey put Sirani down and headed over to the living area, where he noticed one of his old hockey sticks in the corner. He picked it up and brought it to Sirani. "Let's see how you handle this."

She held it carefully. "I'm really supposed to fight with this?"

"No offence, but you're kinda small. You need something to help you pack a punch."

"How is a hockey stick gonna help me punch...?"

Casey rolled his eyes. "It's a figure of speech. Just...try and hit me as hard as you can."

"Hmm..." Sirani pulled the hockey stick up so it was comfortable in her hands. Then, she tried to hit Casey with the curved end, and she smacked him with it in the face. "Oh! Sorry! I was trying to hit your chest!"

Casey hissed and cupped his cheek, slightly rubbing it. "Ugh...don't worry about that. That...was a very good swing."

The red panda pouted. "I'm really sorry I hit you too hard. Did it bruise...?"

"Not yet," Casey replies, "but you're definitely suited for a weapon like that."

"But, this is your hockey stick. I'd need my own weapon."

"You can hold onto it for now. I'll let you know when I want it back," he assured her with a smile.

"Thanks." She tried to get used to holding the hockey stick. Once she was comfortable enough with holding it, Casey dodged most of her hits, but did not risk blocking them with his bare arms. Sirani slowly gained a skill with the hockey stick, hitting Casey multiple times near the end (though not as hard as the first smack.)

"Nice one, Sirani!" Casey chuckled after one hit, and he high-fived the red panda. She chuckles as he high-fives her, feeling proud of herself.

"Casey, we should probably be heading off," April pointed out.

Sirani frowned. "Oh. Sorry for taking up so much of your time."

April assured her, "It's not your fault. We just have to get back to work at some point. We promise we'll come back to visit sometime soon. Tell Mikey we said goodbye, okay?"

"Alright." As they leave, Sirani turned to Paolo, looking nervous. "Do you think Michelangelo will be mad we were fighting with Casey?"

"Only if Casey wasn't prepared for it," Paolo replied as he waved to April and Casey heading out.

"Well, yeah, but he still sounds scared about us fighting at all." Sirani headed to the training room, and both she and Paolo were shocked by what they find. Michelangelo and Artemisia were engaged in combat, with the mutant fox managing to hold her own against the turtle's attacks. With each swing, she blocked his nun-chucks while keeping the blade of the sai against her arm. The two of them watched in awe as Artemisia kept fighting.

Soon, the fox noticed the two other animals and turns to them. "Hey, g-!"

One of Mikey's nun-chucks smacked her in the back of her head. "Lost focus," he pointed out before he held out a hand to the fox.

She pulled herself up, rubbing the back of her head. "Hey, I can't say hi to the others?"

Sirani folded her arms, pouting. "I thought you cared about us too much to let us train for battle."

Mikey realized she was right. "This is...different. We were just messing around."

"It felt pretty intense for 'just messing around.'" Artemisia smirked.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't just getting lucky." He smirked back at her.

The fox then noticed Sirani's hockey stick. "Isn't that Casey's?"

"H-He let me borrow it." She tried to hide it behind her body, but it was not very effective.

"And you're sure he was fine with it?" Michelangelo asked with a slight frown.  
"P-Pretty sure." Sirani nodded. "He gave it to me so I could fight properly."

"Well then, I guess it's okay," Mikey replied, sounding like he was in a better mood, even though it had only been a day.

Sirani asked, "Can Paolo and I join you?"

Mikey's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Don't you want to spend more time with April and Casey?"

"They left about a minute ago," Paolo replied.

"We already sparred with Casey anyway," Sirani added.

"Did you win?" Michelangelo asked.

She smirked. "I feel like I did."

"She was pretty good," the gorilla commented.

"With a hockey stick, maybe," Mikey pointed out, almost condescendingly, but also humorously.

Sirani pouted cutely. "I smack pretty hard with this, I'll have you know."

The turtle rolled his eyes. "That thing is way too standard. Plus, there's also the weight difference to consider. You need something more lightweight and even."

"Well, I guess you have something better than it?" She tilted her head.

"Wait here." Michelangelo left the room, slightly concerning the zoo animals. However, he soon returned with a bo staff in his hand, and brought it over to Sirani. "See how this feels."

She put the hockey stick down by her feet and grabbed the bo staff. "It feels...nice."

"Does that mean Paolo's getting a weapon too?" Artemisia asked, noticing he was the only one left without one.

"What do you have left?" Paolo asked.

"Swords," Michelangelo answered. "Are you looking to train too?"

However, Paolo picked up the hockey stick that Sirani had put down. "Actually, I'm kind of feeling this."

Artemisia frowned. "Kind of makes you seem like the odd one out. Plus, won't Casey need that back?"

"He said he'd let us know when he wants it back," the gorilla pointed out.

She sighed. "Well, I wasn't there, but I guess that makes it okay."

Mikey smirked. "Plus, you don't really seem like a sword guy."

"He doesn't seem like a hockey stick guy either." Sirani rolled her eyes.

"Well, you look a little too small to be using that staff," Paolo argued.

The red panda glared up at him. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe," he replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh, god, I'm rubbing off on him," Michelangelo gasped jokingly.

Sirani used the bo staff to pole-vault onto Paolo's chest. He stumbled back, impressed by her attack. "Nice."

She landed on the ground foot-first, smirking. "I wish I could've tackled you down."

"You're not THAT strong," Paolo commented, smirking back at her.

"But I could be!" She looked at Michelangelo eagerly. "Couldn't I?"

"With enough training, it's very likely," Mikey assured her, "but you shouldn't have to rely on strength alone."

"Well, that's why I have a weapon," Sirani pointed out. "It gave me the leverage to hit Paolo in the chest."

"But evasion is also an important part of combat," he argued.

"I'm small enough to be very evasive."

"But not to everyone," Mikey warned.

Sirani folded her arms. "Well, you're a ninja. Can you teach me to be stealthy?"

"I'm not sure how a big mutant turtle in an orange mask could be stealthy." Artemisia smirked.

"Well, I've remained hidden for over a decade," the turtle pointed out.

"What about out in public?"

"Especially out in public."

"Can you still teach me?" Sirani grabbed Michelangelo's leg.

Mikey smirked. "Sure. I'll teach you some other time. For now, I think I've gotten enough exercise." He looks over at Artemisia.

"Yeah." The red fox yawned. "It's been a long day."

"Absolutely," Mikey agreed.

"Are we still gonna sleep on the couch?" Sirani asked.

"Do you see any other beds in here?" Mikey asked as a reply.

"Maybe in your room!" She folded her arms.

"Hey! Watch the attitude," Mikey warned, noticing how much he sounded like Master Splinter. "Now, all of you go get some rest."

Paolo nodded. "Yes, Mikey." Sirani and Artemisia both nodded after Paolo, but stayed silent. The zoo animals then left the training room, and then put their weapons on the coffee table. Paolo took a seat on the couch. "This has been an interesting day."

"Do you think tomorrow will be just as interesting?" Sirani asked. Artemisia didn't answer them- she was already asleep, curled up like a regular fox.

 **-Later, at the T.C.R.I. Storage Compound-**

The security guard sat in the small booth beside the boom barrier, quietly reading the newspaper. He looked over the article about the zoo crash, but then he heard an engine rumbling in the distance. He peeked up from the newspaper, squinting as a pair of headlights got closer and closer; they did not seem to be slow down. Bracing himself, the guard ducked in the booth as a black van crashed through the barrier and skidded to a halt outside the facility. The doors opened on both sides, and multiple Foot Clan ninjas exited out. Along with them was a figure clad in silver armor. "Oh, fuck," the guard gasped before hitting the silent alarm button beneath his desk.

* * *

The zoo animals were awoken by the sound of an alarm coming from the computer, and look to see Mikey already on his feet. Artemisia groaned as she woke. "What now!?"

"Is it an emergency?" Sirani asked.

"There's a break in at T.C.R.I.," Mikey revealed, looking at the alarm on the computer.

Paolo asked, "The company that made that ooze?"

"The very same. I've got to get over there." Mikey quickly grabbed his nun-chucks.

"What about us?" Sirani asked. "Are we just gonna stay here?"

"You'll have to," he replied. "I'll be back later."

Paolo asked, "You're just going to leave us behind while you go and fight ninjas?"

"There's no time to argue," Mikey retorted before quickly heading out of the exit.

Artemisia sighed and whispered to the others, "Like I said: stern father."

Paolo also sighed. "So, that's it? We get taught how to fight, and he just leaves us behind?"

Artemisia looked at her Sais on the coffee table and then grabbed them. "Are you sure we have to listen to him?"

Paolo and Sirani exchanged glances, and Pablo replied, "You know...I guess it wouldn't hurt to tag along. Just in case."

"Good." Artemisia kicked Sirani's staff to her and she caught it. Sirani handed Paolo his hockey stick. They followed Michelangelo as soon as he thought they wouldn't be following him.


	5. Chapter 5

The Foot ninjas were hurriedly moving canisters of mutagen onto armored trucks and looking out for any signs of incoming security. The armored woman paced back and forth impatiently, expecting her ninjas to have procured enough mutagen by now. Scattered across the floor of the shipping bay were the sliced and diced remains of security's first line of defense. _"Move faster!"_ she ordered, putting the fear of God into her underlings. She then reached for the COMM device in her helmet. _"Give me an update."_

 _"The rest of the facility has been cleared out. Everyone is dead,"_ one of her ninjas answered.

A smile formed on her face beneath the helmet. _"Good. Return to the bay. We will be leaving soon."_ Suddenly, the doors to the bay slammed shut, taking both the ninjas and their leader off- guard.

"What? You thought you could leave without paying the parking fee?" Michelangelo asked, removing his hand from the door control switch.

 _"I was hoping you would show up,"_ the armored woman replies.

Her attire surprised the turtle. "And who are you supposed to be?"

 _"My name is Karai Saki,"_ she revealed, which shocked Michelangelo further.

"Saki. As in the Shredder?"

 _"I am the daughter of the Shredder,"_ she added, her hands clenching into fists. _"You may have taken his life, but you will never take away his legacy. Ninjas!"_ The multiple Foot Clan ninjas prepared themselves by drawing both blades and firearms. _"Kill him!"_ They charged at the turtle, but he did not run away. Instead, he charged forward to take them head on. Sounds of clashing weapons and gunfire echoed around the cargo bay as Michelangelo tried to fight his way towards the new Shredder.

As the fight happened, Karai went over to the bay doors and used the strength of her suit to force them open. On the other side of the door, Karai found three other mutant animals: a red fox holding a pair of Sais, a red panda with a Bo staff, and a gorilla with a hockey stick. The red fox quipped, "Did you think you could run away that easily?"

Before Karai can react, Paolo kicked Karai back into the bay, her body slamming into a stack of crates. She picked herself up, frowning at the new mutants. " _You've got to be kidding me,_ " she sighed and then hit a switch on her gauntlets, two long blades extending from her wrists.

Michelangelo's eyes widen as he spotted the zoo animals. "NO! GET OUT OF HERE!" he cried out to them, surrounded by Foot ninjas.

"We're here to help you!" Sirani stated, running towards the Foot ninjas. She pole-vaulted and hit one in the back, like she did with Paolo earlier, but her running force and the ninja's weight made it enough for her to knock him down. She then used the staff to keep off another ninja, and Artemisia joined her. In the heat of the moment, Michelangelo allowed the fox and red panda to fight alongside him.

Paolo gripped his hockey stick in both hands, standing his ground against Karai. He roared at her, "Bring it on!"

 _"Gladly."_ Karai leapt in the air and brought her blades down towards Paolo. However, he raised his hockey stick to block them, rolled onto his back, and used his feet to propel the new Shredder across the bay. She landed on her feet and turned to face the gorilla. _"Impressive. How long have you been training?"_  
"A day," Paolo answered before charging at her. Artemisia kept the ninjas back with her Sais, and Sirani managed to knock out another Foot ninja with her Bo staff "skills."

Paolo kept trying to strike Karai repeatedly, but she blocked every blow from him. _"You're impressive,"_ she commented before cutting the hockey stick in two. _"But sloppy."_ She jabbed forward, impaling Paolo in the shoulder, before kicking him down.  
"NO!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

 _"Retreat! We've moving out!"_ Karai ordered, heading into the back of one of the armored trucks. The remaining Foot ninjas headed for the truck, and some climbed into the back while another took the wheel. As Michelangelo ran to Paolo, two of the trucks roared out of the bay. Sirani and Artemisia followed Michelangelo to Paolo's side. Sirani quickly took off her shirt and ripped it until it was nothing but a long band of fabric. She tied it around the gorilla's wound.

Michelangelo looked out of the bay doors as he heard sirens in the distance, but steadily coming closer. "Oh no."

"What about Paolo?" Sirani asked.

"We need to lift him up." Artemisia grabbed his in-tact arm. "All of us."

"I...I can do it..." Paolo grunted, but he barely managed to stand with the help of his friends. They headed out of the bay doors, only for a police car to pull up from their left side.

The mutants were bathed in the headlights, allowing the two police officers to fully view them. They both drew their firearms, unable to take their eyes off them. One of them stammered, "Wh-What the hell are they?!"

"Get down on the ground! Now!" the other ordered.

"Go on! Go!" the turtle said to the zoo animals, using his shell to protect them from incoming bullets.

Artemisia and Sirani helped Paolo to safety, but Sirani asked, "What about Mikey?"  
"I think...he can handle the police," the red fox panted. " _We_ can't!"

Michelangelo ran after the mutants, just as another police car comes into view. An officer climbed out, aiming his gun at them, but Michelangelo quickly charged at him and slammed the officer into the ground. He cried out in pain, the turtle towering over and glaring at him. "Please! Please don't hurt me!" he begged.

"Mikey, don't do it!" Sirani yelled, but Artemisia forced her to keep dragging Paolo to safety. Mikey looked at the zoo animals and then back at the officer. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he swiftly released the frightened man. He took off after the other mutants, leading them into the darkness.

 **-Later, at the Turtle Lair-**

" _...which resulted in multiple containers being stolen from the T.C.R.I. storage facility. That is not what frightened the police officers who arrived on the scene. As you can see by this dashcam footage, police witnessed four unknown creatures exiting the facility. One of them even injured an officer before fleeing the scene_ ," the news report stated before Michelangelo muted her. April sat with Paolo, patching him up as best as she could, and Sirani was helping April with the gorilla's wounds.

"I told you not to follow me." Michelangelo got out of his chair, frowning at the zoo animals.

"You were obviously outnumbered," Artemisia points out.

"I could've handled it," he argued, "and now Karai has a truck full of mutagen! Who knows what she could use it for!"

"So, you could've handled being surrounded by Foot ninjas, taking out Karai, and brought the truck of mutagen back _safely_ instead of ramming it like last time?" Artemisia folded her arms. "Not to mention the police would've showed up even if we hadn't been there."

"But if you had listened to me and stayed here, Paolo wouldn't have gotten hurt, and I could've gotten out of there without getting recorded and put on the news!"

"Are you sure about that?" The red fox glares at the turtle. "You might have gotten taken in by the police-they also outnumbered you-and your shell can't protect _all of you_ from bullets. What if one of them fired at your head?"

"At least YOU would've been safe. But again, you ignored my orders!"

April frowned at Michelangelo and tried to speak up. "Mikey-"

"I don't want to hear it, April! They were reckless and put themselves in danger! When you're reckless, people get hurt!" He gestured to Paolo to make his point clear. "Do you have any idea how lucky we are that Paolo is still alive?!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT THE _FUCK_ UP!" Artemisia growled, tears welling up in her eyes. "If you think we're so reckless-" She threw her Sais, and they landed at the turtle's feet, but he could tell he didn't mean to hurt him with them. "Then maybe we don't deserve these." She then ran for the exit of the hideout.

"Fine! Go! Because I was doing just fine before you came along!" Michelangelo then picked up the Sais Artemisia threw at him and headed into the training room. April followed him, while Paolo pushed himself up from the couch.

"Come on," he said to Sirani, gesturing for her to follow Artemisia. The two zoo animals found Artemisia sitting just outside the base, her legs crossed so her feet wouldn't dip into the sewer water. Paolo sat beside her and put a hand on her back. He was not used to comforting someone, but he managed to say, "I...I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Artemisia grumbled. "If Michelangelo wasn't so damn protective, he would care we helped him, and he'd care that you didn't die."

"I know, but...he had a point. We did ignore him," Paolo sighed.

The fox huffed. "But I have a point too. Something could've happened to Mikey, and if we weren't there, we'd be left in the dark about it until morning."

"Do you think...maybe he doesn't want us to be reckless because...he was reckless?"

"Probably," she sighed, recalling the story he told her yesterday. "He told me how he lost his brothers yesterday, and he sounded like he regretted it a lot."

Paolo asked, "Well, can you really blame him for wanting to keep us safe?"

"No," the fox replied, "but I can blame him for not being able to move on." The gorilla nodded, knowing the fox made a good point.

* * *

April entered the training room just in time to see Michelangelo placing the Sais back on the wall. He turned to face her, instantly noticing her frown. "April, I don't want to hear it."

"No, you get don't get a choice here, Mikey!" April snapped. "You don't get to ignore the fact that you screwed up tonight!"

" _I_ screwed up?! The zoo animals are the ones who got in my way!"

"They're not the ones who hurt a cop!" At the sound of this, Michelangelo decided not to talk back, but listen. "I know the animals disobeyed you, but they only did it because they were looking out for you. What would you have done if Splinter had told you to stay behind?"

"It's not the same, April! Things have changed!"

"No, Mikey. YOU have changed. You and your brothers were supposed to stand for something. I supported you all these years because you were doing the right thing for this city. If you're going to start doing the opposite of everything Splinter taught you...I can't support that." April's face went into a neutral expression, waiting for Michelangelo to answer. He turned away from her, put his hand against the wall, and lowered his head.

"Just go, April."

The red-headed reporter turned and exited the training room, ignoring the tears welling up in her eyes. The zoo animals noticed her as she came out from the hideout. Sirani noticed her tears and said, "If he's ignoring you, then something must really be wrong."

"He...he just needs some time to cool down," April replied, drying her tears for the zoo animals' sake.

"Are you okay?" Paolo asked.

"I'll be fine, guys. Just...keep an eye on him, okay?"

"Of course we will," Artemisia replied. "We care about him too."

April nodded. "Good. I'll...I'll try and come by tomorrow."

"Okay. Hopefully, Mikey will feel better by tomorrow." Sirani smiled reassuringly.

"I'll see you, guys." She headed into the sewers, recalling the path back to her apartment. The zoo animals then headed inside the hideout and got back to sleep, hoping to sleep in the next day. Michelangelo rested on his bed in his room, staring up at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

* * *

The zoo animals were woken up the next morning by the sound of the lair door opening. April entered the lair, carrying a brown paper bag under one arm.

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Artemisia yawned. "What's in the bag...?"

"Breakfast. I was on my way to work, and I figured you could use some," the redhead replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as we could," Paolo yawned, stretching his arms.

"Can I help?" Sirani got up and came to April's side. "What are we making?"

April smirked. "Bagels. Got 'em from the best bakery in Manhattan."

"Oh." Sirani's ears bent down. "I-I thought we were gonna make something."

"At least Paolo can eat it," the red fox commented, "and it smells healthier than that stuff in the fridge."

April rolled her eyes and then handed the food out to each of the zoo animals. "Have you spoken to Mikey yet?"

Artemisia sighed. "No, we just woke up, and I'm scared he'll still be upset."

"Me too," April agreed. "You know, even though what you did was reckless...I'm impressed that you held your own against the Foot Clan."

"Thank you," Sirani replied. "Oh, sorry about Casey's hockey stick. And the shirt you got me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he won't be too heartbroken," April joked.

The red panda pouted. "Why don't you think so?"

"Because he's got, like, a million of them." April petted the red panda's head.

"Oh...I-I didn't know that."

"And yet, Michelangelo has only one set of weapons?" Artemisia folded her arms.

Paolo took a bite of his bagel. "It's better than nothing. Although...I'm pretty much without a weapon now."

Artemisia grabbed a bagel and then handed one to Sirani. "You have your fists," the red fox said before taking a bite.

"I guess," the gorilla sighed.

"Well, we have to wait until your arm heals up," Sirani pointed out.

He sighed again. "True."

"I should be heading off anyway," April replies. "I'm going to be reporting on the events of last night. Give Mikey a bagel once he gets up, alright?"

Artemisia nodded, taking the bag from April. "See you on the news." April smiled as she headed out of the lair, and the zoo animals kept eating until Mikey shows up. However, he did not come out of his room in the time it took them to eat breakfast.

Sirani sighed after eating the last of her bagel. "One of us has to go up there and talk to him."

Artemisia raised her hand. "I'll go. I feel like I made him the most upset." She went to his room, her tail twitching anxiously. She found Michelangelo still asleep on his bed, but she checked that he was really asleep and not faking it. She saw that he was simply staring at the wall across from his bed, and not in the mood for talking.

"I said you could go," Michelangelo reminded her. "You don't have to stay here."

"Do you suddenly not care about us anymore?" She folded her arms.

The turtle stood up from the bed and approached Artemisia. "I tried caring about you. You KNOW I did!" he exclaimed, shoving a finger against the fox's chest. "I thought things might be different with you around, but instead you reminded me that I _suck_ at this! I'm not a teacher, I'm not a caregiver, I'm not even a ninja anymore!"

A silence lingered between the two of them, but Michelangelo lowered his pointing hand to his side. During the silence, Artemisia glared at him. "Well, I don't know how to be a teacher, a caregiver, or a ninja. But Mikey, you _tried_. I don't know much about your brothers, or Splinter, but I know they would be proud of you for doing this. Just because you suck at something means you can't get up and try again at it. I mean, April came by today, with breakfast."

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine, but I think the next time you see her, you should apologize."

Michelangelo sat on his bed again. "You should go back with the others. I'll be there in a little while."

"Are you gonna sulk alone some more?" Artemisia smirked.

Michelangelo smirked a little. "I just...need a little more time. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and then left his room.

Paolo looked to her as she returned. "How did it go?"

"He said he'd be out in a few minutes," Artemisia replied. "Let's turn on the news. Maybe April's on." Paolo did so, and though the news was displayed on the channel, it appeared that April was not on yet. So, they watched the news program until April's segment.

 **-Meanwhile-**

April arrived at the Channel Six News building and headed through the doors, past the front desk. She failed to notice the black van pull up outside the building, and multiple Foot ninjas exited out of it. They entered the building with guns drawn, attracting the attention of everyone in the lobby. "Everybody on the ground! NOW!" one of them ordered. April gasped and quickly ducked around a corner to head for the back exit. However, she heard rapid footsteps getting closer, which forced her to duck into the bathroom. With no other options, she ran to the window and climbed out, dropping down into the back alleyway.

Inside the building, Karai strode through the doors, clad in her Shredder armor. " _Spread out. Round up everyone and bring them here,_ " she ordered, which prompted the ninjas to search the upper floors.

* * *

April climbed into the sewer by pulling the manhole cover shut behind her. She started wading through the network of tunnels, recalling the right path to the turtle lair.


	6. Chapter 6

As the animals watched the news program, their attention increased as it got interrupted. All across New York, people took notice as the news broadcast went static, and was soon replaced by the image of a figure clad in metal armor. _"Good morning, New York City. I am the Shredder,"_ the figure introduced. As the zoo animals watched, Michelangelo appeared from his room and joined them by the computer. _"And I have a message for you. Seven years ago, my father was killed by a monster. You regarded them as urban legends, but I can assure you..."_ she paused as the police footage of the mutants appeared on the screen. _"they are real. Mutants are rampant in your city."_

* * *

At Casey Jones's bar, he and the early patrons watched the small TV screen worriedly as Shredder continued. _"I am only looking for one: the turtle known as Michelangelo. He is the one who took my father from me, and I am confident that he too is listening to this broadcast."_

* * *

Michelangelo's hand clenched into a fist as the villain addressed him. _"Michelangelo, you have until midday to arrive outside the Channel 6 News building. If you fail to attend, I will execute every single hostage we have secured in this building. As for the law enforcement who are presumably on their way to arrest both myself and my ninjas, I have a warning for you also. You will set up a five-block radius around the building as soon as possible, and if you refuse to do so..."_ Shredder held up a black box with three flip switches on the front. _"...consider this a warning."_ She flipped one of the switches, and immediately, the computer's alarm went off again.

"What's happening?" Paolo asked.

Michelangelo moved the news report to the side of the screen to bring up a map of the city. "There's been an explosion at the Yellowside Mall." Then, he connected to a security camera, only able to connect to the camera outside the mall. From its view, green gas billowed out of the mall's entrance, multiple citizens gathered outside and some even using their phones to record the chaos. Suddenly, shapes started emerging from the smoke, and only then did onlookers run away. Mutated civilians exited the mall, their bodies deformed into animalistic hybrids.

Sirani frowned. "What are you gonna do, Mikey?"  
Artemisia looked away from the footage, scared by the appearance of the other mutants. "There's not much he _can_ do."

 _"I just activated one of the Mutagen Bombs I planted around the city. Each one has the capacity of mutating every living thing within its blast radius. I assume the authorities will be occupied with rounding up all affected victims,"_ Shredder explained. _"I will have my men patrolling the streets within the five-block radius, with orders to shoot on site. Unless you are a mutated turtle, stay inside and do not intervene. You have been warned."_

The screen went to static, and Michelangelo was silent as he thought over his options. The zoo animals gave him some time to think. Suddenly, the lair door opened, and April entered, looking tired and disheveled from running through the sewers. "April!" Michelangelo came to her, and she came to him. The two hugged in the middle for a few seconds before getting back to the problem at hand.

"Mikey, the Foot clan have taken over Channel 6."

"I know. We saw their broadcast." Mikey then explained, "They want me to give myself up to them or else they'll set off bombs full of mutagen around the city."

"Oh god. I should call Casey and let him know I'm okay." April took out her phone and auto-dialed her boyfriend. "Are you guys okay?" she asked, looking to the zoo animals.

"We're fine," Artemisia replied. "Mikey is still deciding what to do."

April got through to Casey. "Casey, I'm okay. Where are you?"  
 _"I'm still at the bar. We're within the five-block radius."_

She frowned. "'We'?"  
 _"I've been bringing people in off the streets, including a few ex-Purple Dragons. What's the plan?"_

Everyone went silent as they looked to the turtle, and then April asked, "Mikey, what's the plan?"

"I'm going to surrender."

Sirani pouted, but she knew he didn't have many options. "And what about us...?"

Michelangelo looked at each of the zoo animals before he let out a sigh. "I don't know..."  
"Mikey, you can't just give up like this. Are you seriously going to let win? After what her father did to your family?" Paolo asked.

"We don't have many other-" Mikey then realized something. "Wait...did Casey say he had ex-Purple Dragons with him?"  
April said, "Yeah."  
"And they're within the radius?"  
"That's right."

The zoo animals noticed a smirk appear on the turtle's face, and Artemisia smirked back. "Are we coming with you?"

"Not yet. But I do need to know something." Mikey looked straight at Artemisia.

The red fox looked him straight in the eyes also and nodded. "Anything, Michelangelo."

He approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "How quickly can you learn to drive?"

 **-Later-**

Shredder stood outside Channel 6 with four Foot ninjas at her back, each one is armed with both swords and assault rifles, ready for combat at any moment. One of the ninjas, however, held a camera, and was checking to make sure it worked properly. Inside the Channel 6 lobby, every member of staff was on their knees, and didn't move an inch, out of fear of getting shot. Shredder then looked down the street and raised her hand to get the attention of her ninjas. _"At arms!"_ The ninjas raised their rifles, taking aim at the mutant turtle walking their way. His hands were raised to show no signs of weapons, and he wore a solemn expression. The ninja with the camera got a shot of Michelangelo, the image being shown live on all of New York's TV screens.

Michelangelo stopped just a few feet away from Shredder, and stated, "I came."

 _"On your knees,"_ Shredder ordered. The turtle obeyed, getting on his knees and placing his hands behind his head. Shredder turned to address the camera and explained, _"As expected, the turtle showed up. Just like they always do. Whenever my father had incredible plans for the city, these turtles would show up and ruin them."_

* * *

Two Foot ninjas stood at the back entrance to the Channel 6 building, looking up and down the back alley. Just then, the manhole cover to their left slid open, surprising the two ninjas. They both exchanged a nod, and then headed over to investigate it. The second one of them peeked into the dark hole, a red panda leapt out and clung onto his face. Before the second ninja can react, Casey and a group of four ex-Purple Dragons ran down the alleyway and beat the crap out of him. Sirani grabbed her Bo staff, clutched by her tail, and whacked the Foot ninja in the side of the head with it. "TAKE THAT!" As he went down, she kicked him in the back. "AND THAT!"

Casey quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. _"I thought you ninjas were meant to be discreet!"_

" _Sorry,_ " Sirani whispered back. " _I got excited._ "

Casey and one of the Purple Dragons removed the ninjas' armor, placed it on themselves, and then took their guns. They pulled the masks on over their faces before heading inside. _"We'll send them out here. When they come out, take them down,"_ Casey instructed. _"We'll get to work on freeing the hostages."_

" _Okay,_ " Sirani replied with a nod. " _I'll make sure no one comes around this way._ "

Casey nodded before both he and the Purple Dragon went inside. They entered the lobby, walking past the hostages, and stopped in front of the other two ninjas. "Shift change," Casey said to them, gesturing in the direction of the back exit. Both ninjas shrugged and headed out the doors, and the sounds of a swift beating came as soon as they were outside. Both ninjas fell to the ground, and afterwards, the hostages escaped out of the back exit with Casey following them. _"Dragons, get them back to the bar. And keep them safe."_

Sirani looked up at Casey once the hostages and Purple Dragons were gone. " _So, what's next?_ "

 _"We wait for the signal,"_ he replied.

* * *

 _"But no more! No more will this city have to live with these monsters hiding in its shadows!"_ Shredder activated one of her gauntlet blades and walked behind Michelangelo, aiming the blade at the back of his neck. Then, Michelangelo started snickering, unable to keep a smirk off his face. _"You laugh in the face of death?"_

"I'm not laughing at death," the turtle replied. "It's just funny that you and your father have something very specific in common."

 _"And what's that?"_

Everybody went silent as they heard the distant (but very audible) honk of a car horn playing "La Cucaracha" down the street. "You always celebrate your victory before you've even one."

Shredder and her ninjas looked down the street to see a customized "Turtle Van" roaring down the street, with a mutant fox behind the wheel. _"Open fire!"_ Shredder ordered. The ninjas obeyed and started shooting at the van, but the bullets ricocheted off the reinforced bodywork.

Artemisia drove straight into the Foot ninjas, knocking them over like bowling pins. Some tried to get up anyway, so she shouted to the back, "Paolo, go!" as she turned around. The gorilla leapt out of the back, wielding one of Casey's hockey sticks and wearing as some makeshift body armor. He roared as he landed and used the hockey stick to knock the ninjas away. One flew straight through the doors of Channel 6, shattering the glass, which alerted Casey and Sirani.

"That's the signal!" Casey said, picking Sirani up and making a break for the Turtle Van. Sirani didn't move in Casey's hands, but she didn't look happy to be carried. While Shredder was distracted by the chaos, Mikey swept her leg and grabbed the M-bomb detonator in midair before she even hits the ground. Artemisia waited for Paolo and Mikey to come back, looking in the rear-view mirrors for them.

Mikey called out, before he was even in the van, "Drive!" The team climbed aboard just as the van was pulling away, Mikey still holding onto the detonator switch. Shredder looked up from the ground and glared at them as they drove away.

Sirani stared at the detonator in Michelangelo's hands. "What are you gonna do with that?"

Mikey turned to the Turtle Van's on-board computer and activated it, linking the detonator to it. "April, can you hear me?"  
 _"Loud and clear, Mikey,"_ April replied as she looked over the detonator's schematics back at the lair. _"I'm linked to the detonator, and I'm using its signal to track down the last two bombs."_

"Am I driving to them?" Artemisia asked, already driving down the road without directions.

"Not a good idea." Michelangelo explained, "The longer we take to get to each one, the more likely it is that Shredder will get to them before us. April, where are they?"  
 _"Hold on...got it. I'm locked onto one in Times Square, and another at Grand Central Terminal,"_ April revealed.

"That's not too far from here. Paolo, Sirani, Casey, you three can go after the one in Times Square. Artemisia and I can go after the one at Grand Central."

Artemisia frowned. "I thought you just said we weren't driving to them."

"Don't make me come up there," Michelangelo warned. "Take a left here and keep going for five blocks."

"I'll just drop Casey, Paolo, and Sirani off when we get to Times Square," she replied, following the turtle's directions. The fox soon reached Times Square and stopped in the middle of the street. The back doors opened and Paolo, Sirani, and Casey climbed out.

Casey replied, "Call if anything bad happens."

"Good luck," Mikey replied, and then relayed to Artemisia, "Drive down that street for four blocks."

"Got it." She drove down the street speedily.

Once they were gone down the road, Sirani looked to Casey. "Any idea what this mutagen bomb looks like?"

"Well, it has to be somewhere nearby and hidden," Paolo said, almost oblivious to the people staring at Sirani and himself.

"'Sup," Casey greeted to those staring with a casual wave.

Just then, Sirani spotted a familiar truck parked in Times Square- an armored T.C.R.I. truck. "There." Sirani pointed at it, nudging Casey's leg. "That's the trucks that were filled with mutagen from last night."

Casey, Paolo, and Sirani all ran over to the van, and then Paolo pried open the back doors, revealing a box-shaped black bomb inside. Casey quickly called up his girlfriend. "April, we've secured the bomb. Can we disarm it?"  
 _"You should be able to. Send me a photo."_ Casey took a photo of the bomb and sent it to her. _"Okay, there should be a panel on the side which you can open."_

Sirani saw the panel and pried it open with her claws. "How does April know so much about bombs?"

"She was always a tech whiz," Casey explained, "but Donnie showed her a few things over the years." Once the panel opened, the bomb made a whirring noise. Once it went silent, a two-minute countdown appeared.

"T-Tell April there's a countdown!" Sirani panicked.

"April, the bomb just started counting down!" Casey exclaimed. "We've got less than two minutes!"

 _"Quickly! Send me a photo of the interior!"_ Casey did so before bringing his phone back to his ear. _"I...I can't tell how to disarm it from this photo. Even if I was there, the inner workings are far too complex."_

Paolo exclaimed, "Then what do we do?!"

"The river," Casey gasped. "April, how far are we from the river?"

 _"Uh...five blocks, but you won't be able to get through the traffic that fast."_

Paolo thought for a second, and then he took a deep breath. "Everyone, out of the truck."

Sirani and Casey got out of the truck, but she looked back at Paolo. "What are you gonna do?"

Paolo grabbed the truck by the side, letting out a roar of strength as he lifted it up off the ground. "Wow," Casey uttered. Paolo looked in the direction of the river and took off in a slow run. Sirani and Casey tried and keep up with him, making sure he gets to the river safely.

Civilians watched in shock and worry as the gorilla carried the armored truck towards the river, even climbing over cars to get there quicker. By some sort of miracle, Sirani and Casey kept up with Paolo, and pushed anyone out of their way with a quick "I'm sorry."

Paolo kept going as he saw the river up ahead. "Come on...come on..."

Sirani panted and repeated, "Come on...come on..." like chanting that with Paolo would help him. Paolo reached the edge of the pier, letting out a loud roar, and spun on the spot as he threw the truck into the river. With a loud splash, the truck disappeared below the water, bubbles floating to the surface. The red panda blinked as she watched it sink. "So, is it gonna detonate below the water, or did the water stop it?" Before anyone could answer, a torrent of water burst into the air, but then it was quiet again, the threat of the bomb now neutralized.

"I'd go with the former," Casey answered.

Sirani gave Casey a look, but she was also smirking. "If we have to deal with mutant fish, tell April it's her fault."

"My arms hurt," Paolo groaned, which made Casey snicker.

Then, he brought the phone to his ear. "April, we're one bomb down."

* * *

Artemisia stopped outside the station, and Mikey quickly climbed out of the van. "Come on!"

She followed him out of the van, and the two ran inside. "So, what is this bomb gonna look like?"

"According to April, we'll know it when we see it," he replied. However, the two mutants took note of the multiple citizens running out of the terminal in a panic. "Um...I don't think this is because of us." Artemisia ran in the opposite direction the citizens are running from, figuring that was where the bomb will be. Mikey followed her, the two of them reaching the terminals. "There!" Mikey pointed, seeing Shredder and two Foot Ninjas moving the bomb into a departing train, and the doors were closing.

Artemisia raced to the train door, but it was already closed. Then, she looked to the top of the train. "How about we go through the top?" Mikey gave her a boot up and climbed up after her as the train starts moving. Now on top of the train, the fox looked for a way in.

"Allow me," Mikey said before he punched the roof of the subway car repeatedly until it caved in. "Ladies first~" Artemisia jumped in and quickly grabbed her Sais, while Mikey grabbed his nun-chucks as he came in.

Shredder and her two ninjas stood at the end of the car, the ninjas still carrying the bomb, and Shredder sighed, _"Michelangelo…"_

"Shredder," the turtle replied. "I see you had one last trick up your sleeve."

 _"This train is headed for 42nd Street Station, directly beneath Times Square. We shall leave the bomb in the end car, disconnect it from the rest of the train, and then leave it to detonate,"_ she explained.

"And what about you?" Artemisia asked. "Won't you be trapped in the blast too?"

" _We will be long gone before the blast occurs. I cannot say the same for you._ " Shredder activated her swords before the mutants.

Mikey whispered to the fox, _"You go after the ninjas. Shredder's mine."_

" _Just don't blow us up like last time Shredder was yours,_ " she whispered back, but she followed the turtle's orders, attacking the ninjas with her Sais. The turtle charged Shredder and then did a flying kick which the hi-tech samurai could block.

The ninjas placed the bomb down, before drawing their swords and to attack Artemisia. The fox blocked the attacks with the "back" of her Sais, just like Michelangelo taught her. Then, she kicked under one ninja's feet, and he stumbled while the other ninja attempted a sweep kick. The fox dodged out of the way and then hit the other ninja in the back. He fell forward, his head slamming into one of the safety bars, and the remaining ninja drew a pistol from his hip, aiming it at the fox. Artemisia gasped and kicked the pistol from his hands before he pulled the trigger, the bullet ricocheting around the car and hitting him in the chest. Her eyes widened. "What a lucky shot."

Then, she turned her attention to Michelangelo and Shredder. Shredder jabbed forward and her blade broke the window of the car they were in. Mikey moved behind her and brought his nun-chucks around her neck, pulling tightly and forcing her to back up. Shredder pushed Mikey into the other window and sparks appeared as his shell scraped against the wall of the subway tunnel. Artemisia tackled Shredder in the side with her shoulder, and yelled, "Did you forget about me!?" Shredder landed back in the train, and Mikey stood with Artemisia.

As Shredder stood back up, she took on a fighting stance. Artemisia took a fighting stance as well and growled, "Bring it, _bitch_." Shredder charged at the two mutants, swinging her swords rapidly. Mikey blocked one sword, knocking it back, and it sliced through the metal subway car. Artemisia blocked the other with her Sai and pushed Shredder's arm towards her chest, knocking her back slightly.

Michelangelo looked back at the next subway car, and then at the bomb. "I have an idea," he said to Artemisia, and while Shredder was distracted, he removed the panel on the bomb's side, revealing the two-minute countdown clock.

Artemisia's eyes widened. "Great, now it's gonna go off in two minutes!"

"Good," Mikey said. "Get into the next car."

"Wait, what?" Before she can react further, the turtle grabbed her hand and pulled her into the next car.

"Hey! Shred-head!" Mikey called to her. Shredder stood up and then charged at the turtle. As she swung her downwards, she sliced through the car couplings and accidentally connected with the tracks. With a loud crackle of electricity, Shredder flew right into the bomb, her body motionless. As Mikey and Artemisia watched the bomb car moved further down the tracks, he told her, "We're not out of the woods yet. We need to clear the station."

"Well, if you yell, 'there's a bomb!' loud enough, everyone will run."

"Plus, we're huge scary mutants," Mikey added with a smirk, "so they'll have to listen to us."

Artemisia smirked back. "I thought ninjas were all about concealing themselves."

"This is an exception. Not to mention, we were seen live on TV earlier."

The two of them ran to the front of the train and stopped it before it could crash. Before a horde of commuters climbed on, a mutant turtle and fox cut them off. "There's a bomb on this train!" Artemisia screamed, and as expected, most of the commuters ran in horror.

"Go! Go! Hurry!" Mikey insisted, prompting even more people to head up the stairs and out of the station. He then looked back down the tunnel, and saw the bomb car still moving down the tunnel. "Oh, crap! Artie, run!" She would've scolded Michelangelo for the nickname, but she just followed his orders and ran, leaving him behind in the panic. Mikey took off after her. On the train, Shredder slowly awoke, and hazily looked to her left too see that the bomb only had a few seconds left. She gasped, and desperately tried to stand up in her hi-tech armor, but alas, the countdown finished just as the train collided with the station.

Michelangelo and Artemisia were heading up the steps just as a loud explosion echoed through the station, green gas flowing out behind them as they run. The two of them made it out of the station safely, Artemisia covering her muzzle just in case, and the gas floated harmlessly into the air. They looked around to see every civilian staring at them, all with expressions of awe. Paolo and Sirani pushed through the crowd, coming over to join the fellow mutants. Paolo asked them, "Did you stop it?"

Artemisia smiled. "Heck yeah, we did, and Shredder went down with it."

Slowly, the crowd began clapping and cheering. The mutants spotted Casey in the crowd, who joined in with them as they applauded the mutants. Sirani pulled Casey from the crowd and smiled. "You deserve this too. I just wish April was here."

"I'll pull the van around," Casey said. "Enjoy the glory."

"Are you really gonna enjoy this?" Artemisia asked Mikey. "You've lived under the radar for so long."

"Things change," Mikey replied simply, smiling at the fox.

She smiled back. "I guess they do." She suddenly hugged Michelangelo. "Thanks for putting up with us." The zoo animals followed suit with the hug, including Paolo, who lifted the others.


	7. Epilogue

**-Later-**

 _"...in the dark as to where they came from. But whoever these mutants are, they saved us..."  
"...and then this gorilla just jumped over my car carrying a truck! A friggin' truck!"  
"I drew them all! Look, this one's the gorilla, and that's..."  
"...the N.Y.P.D. have rounded up many of the mutated victims from the mall attack. They are currently being cared for at the T.C.R.I institute, where Manhattan's top scientists are working together to develop a cure for the afflicted individuals." _ Every news channel had a different take on the story, but as far as the mutants could tell, they were mostly positive.

The lair doors opened as they watched the news, and both April and Casey carried pizza boxes inside. "I brought dinner!" she called out.

"So this is the legendary pizza Mikey keeps going on about," Sirani commented. "I hope it's as 'heavenly' as he said it was."

"You won't be disappointed," Michelangelo assured her as he opened one pizza box, inhaling the scent of the melted cheese. All three of the zoo animals took a slice of the plain cheese pizza, and then bit it, and as promised, it tasted SO good. Sirani moaned at the flavor, and Artemisia wagged her tail strangely, since Mikey had never seen a fox wag their tail.

Paolo commented, "This isn't half bad."

"It shouldn't be. We've been ordering from this place for years," Casey replied before taking a bite from his slice.

"Do they know that you've been feeding a hungry turtle down here?" Sirani asked, smirking.

"They might think I have a serious problem," Casey said through a mouthful of cheese and sauce.

Artemisia chuckled as she took a second slice. "Sounds like Mikey has a serious pizza addiction."

"And yet I'm in excellent shape," the turtle replied with a smirk.

"Let's see how fit you are without that protective shell on." The fox kept smirking.

"I'm pretty sure that would kill me. Right?"

Paolo shrugged. "I dunno."

"Can we try it out at practice?" Sirani asked. "You'd look pretty naked without your shell." The rest of the group laughed, including Mikey.

 **-Meanwhile, at T.C.R.I.-**

A woman in medical scrubs walked down a hallway, the wall to her left fitted with glass to view the contained victims of the first M-bomb. As she walked, she noted the status of each victim on her recording device. "#156: Present and stable," she said before moving to the next cell. "#157: Present and stable." She then reached the next cell, and paused briefly to view the victim inside. A look of worry lingered on her face before she got back to work. "#158: Present and stable." She turned away from the victim and continued down the hallway. At the back of chamber #158, a deformed porcupine-like creature sat in silence. Long metal blades pressed out of her back, like quills, scraping against the back wall. Unlike the other mutated victims, she did not roar or scratch at the glass of her chamber- she sat…

 _And waited._


End file.
